Lubricating device



Sept. 1, 1959 K. F. wrrT LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed May 16, 1957 INVENTOR.KENNETH F. WITT.

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United States Patent 9 LUBRICATING DEVICE Kenneth F. Witt, Winchendon,Mass., assignor to Goodspeed Machine Company, Winchendon, Mass., acorporatiou of Massachusetts Application May 16, 1957, Serial No.659,689

1 Claim. (Cl. 142-48) This invention relates to a device for supportingand lubricating a rapidly-revolving workpiece, and particularly a woodenworkpiece to which heavy transverse tool pressure is being applied. Theinvention has particular application to the turning of elongated piecesof wood, such as rounds, spindles and legs of chairs and tables.

In machining such parts, a cutting tool is advanced progressively fromend-to-end of the workpiece, and the cutting operation involvesrelatively heavy transverse pressure on the workpiece, which may be ofrelatively small diameter.

It is customary to provide a ring-shaped block or collar to receive theroughly cylindrical workpiece and to resist transverse tool pressureapplied thereto. The high speed at which wood turning is performed makeslubrication of the rotating workpiece essential.

It is the general object of this invention to provide improved means forsupplying lubrication to a work-supporting block or ring of the classdescribed, and to provide means for supplying the oil or grease underpressure intermittently and only during the working stroke of thecutting tool.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth inthe appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawingwhich is a side elevation, partly in section, of a work support havingmy improved lubricating device associated therewith.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a block 10 having a circularopening 11 to receive a longitudinal portion of the workpiece W. Theblock 10 is to be associated with a cutting tool carriage C and commonlytravels longitudinally of the work W in association with the cuttingtool.

A tank 15 is supplied with oil or grease which is forced from the tankthrough a pipe 18 and passage 19 to the side wall of the circularopening 11 in the block 10. The oil or grease may be forced from thetank 15 by air applied under pressure through a pipe 20 and valve 21.The tank 15 may also contain a quantity of steel wool 22 which acts as afilter.

The pipe 18 is preferably flexible and passes into an opening in a valveblock 30 having a manually-operated adjusting screw 31, which may bescrewed in to restrict the flow of oil or grease through the passage 19to the Opening 11.

A shut-off valve 35 is associated with the pipe 18 and is normally heldclosed by a spring 36, but the valve may be opened by a solenoid coil37.

The coil 37 is connected to a line wire L and also to a line wire Lhaving a switch S inserted therein. The switch S is controlled by thetravel of the cutting tool carriage C and is diagrammatically shown inthe draw ing as comprising a bell-crank lever 41 pivoted at 42 andnormally held in open position against a stop 43 by a spring 44. Aportion of the line wire L is connected between the solenoid coil 37 andthe lever combination 41, 41a and 45.

An arm 45 is loosely mounted on a pivot 42 supported in an insulatedbearing block and projects upward into the path of a block 50, also ofinsulating material and mounted on the tool carriage C. The arm 45 isnormally held against a lug 52 on the lever 41 by a spring 53. As theblock 50 moves to the right on a working stroke of the cutting toolcarriage C, the arm 45 is engaged and swings the depending portion 41aof the lever 41 clockwise against a contact 55, thus completing acircuit through both parts of the line wire L.

As the cutting tool completes its working travel, the block 50 passesbeyond the arm 45, and the lever 41 is moved back against the stop 43 bythe spring 44, thus breaking the solenoid circuit and interrupting theapplication of oil or grease through the passage 19 to the opening 11 inthe block 10.

On the return trip of the cutting tool carriage C to the left (as shownin the diagram), the block 50 will oppositely engage the arm 45 and willswing the arm anticlockwise, but the arm will move freely away from thelug 52, and the lever 41 will remain in engagement with the stop 43.

I have thus provided a simple and reliable construction by which oil orgrease will be applied under pressure through the pipe 18 and thepassage 19 to the rapidly rotating workpiece during the working strokeof the cutting tool, but such feed of oil or grease will be interruptedas soon as the cutting stroke is completed, and no feed of lubricantwill take place during the return stroke of the cutting tool.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

In a lathe for turning an elongated wood workpiece and having a turningtool and a tool carriage movable axially along said workpiece, incombination, a bearing block mounted to move axially of the work withthe tool carriage and embracing at least a major part of thecircumference of the workpiece effective to resist transversedisplacement of the workpiece, and means to lubricate said bearing blockand workpiece comprising a suppy of lubricant under pressure, aconnection between said lubricant supply and said bearing block, a valvein said connection, means mounted on the tool carriage and movabletherewith in fixed relation to the movement of the tool carriageeffective to open said valve when the cutting operation of the toolbegins, and means to close said valve as the cutting stroke is completedand to leave said valve closed during the full return stroke of the tooland tool carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS365,419 Welsh June 28, 1887 1,398,338 Mirrieless Nov. 29, 1921 1,405,697Thullen Feb. 7, 1922 1,905,506 Russell Apr. 25, 1933 2,004,422 TrautJune 11, 1935 2,084,022 Frank June 15, 1937 2,286,074 Egger et al June9, 1942

